advertising and other stuff. no, really.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

JOKES! (It’s advertising, we have no soul to begin with according to many.) I’m just seeing this now since we’ve been busy producing a podcast for you ungrateful people. (It’s really good though—you should listen!) Is that a shameless plug? Maybe, except that we’ll be talking about one aspect of this on the next show with returning guest Harry Webber. I get that The Apartment is about a new way to recruit young talent by throwing them into the same mix with rent-free apartment, etc., but I couldn’t help but *go there* and wonder the same thing another commentor did: Do suburbanite hipster kids with the right look really need help getting into the best agencies in the world? They do when a free Oskär bookcase from Ikea is thrown their way. CUE INTEGRATED BRAND PROMOTION. Right now, it’s the interns lifestreaming themselves, but this could easily gateway to a reality show with full crew, etc. (Add drama + account exec breakdown + client pitch = ratings, baby!)

I’m not trying to be a dick, as any young intern starting out shouldn’t have the issue of race thrown at them. The idea itself is pretty good, if not fully-realized as a reality show the way it might be, but as self-promo goes, it works. (The answer for how to do an advertising reality series is *right fucking there* and I’m amazed nobody is doing it yet.) But again, this promotion wasn’t designed to address the diversity issue. I do wonder if MRM agencies are really having that much trouble attracting talent though. All the shops scan portfolio schools and cherry pick the best talent, but it’s not like the end of the world if you don’t get into W+K or Goodby. Attracting people from outside that system doesn’t play into it because outsiders today have almost no shot compared to those on the inside with connections.